A succession certificate lets your family collect bank balances and other debts owed to a person who has died and, where the court allows, deal with the shares and other securities it lists. You petition the civil court for the district where they ordinarily lived and deposit the court fee with it: Rs 28,000 in Maharashtra and Rs 30,000 in Telangana when what you list comes to Rs 5,00,000.

WillJini's succession certificate service covers identifying the eligible legal heirs, preparing the petition documentation and guiding the family through the court procedures and stages.

Where this page sits

If you are an heir living outside India, the succession certificate for an NRI explains how to apply from abroad.

Related guides:

• Succession certificate for an NRI
• Legal heir certificate vs succession certificate
• Transfer of property after death

What Is a Succession Certificate?

A succession certificate is a document a civil court issues under Part X of the Indian Succession Act, 1925, authorising the heirs of a person who has died to collect the debts and securities they left. It is most commonly required when the person died intestate, that is, without a will.

The certificate is conclusive against anyone who owes a listed debt, and they are fully protected when they pay the holder in good faith.

What Does a Succession Certificate Cover, and What Does It Not?

A succession certificate covers only the debts and securities of the person who died. The debts include money in bank accounts and deposits where no nominee survives, and interest, dividends and other sums owed. Section 370 of the Act limits securities to government securities, company shares and debentures, local-authority securities and any others the State Government notifies. A fund house also accepts the certificate for mutual fund units, and insurance money is covered where no nominee survives.

A succession certificate does not:

• cover immovable property such as land, a house or a flat, because the sections defining it speak only of debts and securities.
• make the holder the owner, since whoever collects must account to the person lawfully entitled.
• survive a later grant of probate or letters of administration for the estate, which supersedes it.

When Is a Succession Certificate Required?

Above Rs 15 lakh, or a higher limit the bank has fixed, a commercial bank settles an account with no nominee or survivor on a succession certificate, or on an alternative set of documents under the Reserve Bank's directions. The certificate goes with the claim form, death certificate and identity document; the second set is a legal heir certificate or an independent person's affidavit sworn before a Notary Public, Judge or Judicial Magistrate, with an indemnity, the heirs' disclaimers and possibly a surety bond. Where the heirs dispute the claim, the bank asks for probate, letters of administration, a succession certificate or a court order or decree.

Under SEBI's circular of 23 July 2026, from 22 August 2026 simplified documents cover securities up to Rs 10 lakh held physically, per company or per fund house for mutual fund units, and Rs 30 lakh in demat. Above those limits the heirs need an affidavit-cum-NOC with a copy of the will, or a legal heirship certificate from a revenue authority not below a Tehsildar, each with an indemnity, or a succession certificate, letters of administration or a decree. If the heirs dispute the claim, it has to be settled in court.

An insurer pays the certificate holder, among others, where the policy matures in the insured person's lifetime or every nominee has died first (section 39 of the Insurance Act, 1938). To get a court decree against a debtor of the person who died, an heir must produce probate, letters of administration, a succession certificate naming that debt, or another document listed in section 214 of the Indian Succession Act.

When Does a Bank, Depository or Insurer Not Need a Succession Certificate?

A nominee or survivor is paid by a commercial bank on a claim form, the death certificate and an identity document, however large the balance, with no succession certificate, probate, letters, indemnity or surety. The nominee holds the money as a trustee of the legal heirs, as nominee vs legal heir explains.

Without a nominee or survivor, a commercial bank settles up to Rs 15 lakh, or a higher limit it has fixed, without a certificate where there is no will, no contesting claim and no restraining order. The family gives the claim form, death certificate, identity document, an indemnity bond, the other heirs' disclaimer, and a legal heir certificate or a declaration by an independent person known to the family, with no third-party surety. Co-operative banks follow their own Reserve Bank directions.

With a will, the bank starts from probate or letters of administration but may act on the will itself if it is lawful, undisputed and genuine; succession certificate or letter of administration compares the two. For a will of your own, see WillJini's detailed will online.

Within SEBI's limits, a depository or fund house transfers securities to the heirs on a notarised indemnity and a notarised affidavit-cum-NOC from all the heirs, or a family settlement deed, and a succession certificate replaces both. A nominee takes securities as trustee for the heirs, and a surviving joint holder takes them on the death certificate alone. An insurer pays a surviving nominee without a certificate. On policies maturing after the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Act, 2015 came into force, section 39(7) makes a nominated parent, spouse or child beneficially entitled to the money; nominee vs legal heir covers what happens when other heirs claim it.

Can Property Be Sold or Transferred Without a Succession Certificate?

A succession certificate cannot cover land, a house or a flat: title to property of that kind passes to the heirs by inheritance or under a will, and each property record is updated separately.

In Maharashtra, a co-operative housing society transfers a flat on a will, a succession certificate, a legal heirship certificate or a family arrangement, or to a nominee, who is only a provisional member (Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act, 1960, section 154B-13). For land on the record of rights, section 149 of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966 gives the heir three months to report the inheritance to the Talathi. The transport office notes a vehicle's transfer after a death, a service listed on the Aaple Sarkar portal.

In Delhi, the Municipal Corporation's change of name on a property tax record confers no legal title or ownership rights, and the Corporation asks for a succession certificate or letters of administration only where one of several heirs applies alone. For inherited property, see transfer of property after death and WillJini's inheritance and property transfer assistance.

Who Can Apply for a Succession Certificate?

The legal heirs can apply for a succession certificate, typically the spouse, children, parents or other close relatives recognised by the family's succession law: the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 for Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs, and the Indian Succession Act, 1925 for Christians and Parsis. Several heirs can apply together, or one can apply with the consent of the others, depending on circumstances.

The Judge decides the petitioner's right in a summary manner and may grant the certificate to the applicant with the best prima facie title where the questions are too intricate. As the Act now reads, a certificate is refused only for a debt or security to which a right must be established by letters of administration under section 212, and section 212 does not apply where a Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain, Indian Christian or Parsi dies without a will.

How Do You Get a Succession Certificate, Step by Step?

The succession certificate procedure is a petition to the civil court, and WillJini's succession certificate service takes a family through it in four steps. WillJini has helped families across India with succession and estate matters since 2014.

Step 1: Advice and appointment of a lawyer

WillJini assists end to end with the advice, the process and the correspondence. The petition may cover any debt, or part of one, so the family lists only what an institution insists on.

Step 2: Apply in the civil court

Immediate family members apply in the civil court, depositing the whole court fee with the petition, and WillJini assists them throughout.

Step 3: The hearing and the grant

The Judge fixes a hearing and has notice served on anyone who should receive it and posted on the court-house; a newspaper notice follows only if the Judge directs it under the High Court's rules. After deciding the right summarily, the Judge grants the certificate, specifying the debts and securities from the petition. A bond with a surety is at the Judge's discretion, and is required where the certificate went to the applicant with the best prima facie title.

Step 4: Submit the certificate to each institution

Once obtained, the certificate is submitted to each institution holding a listed debt or security.

What Documents Are Required, and What Must the Section 372 Petition State?

The documents required for a succession certificate, as WillJini lists them, are the death certificate, details of the legal heirs, asset information, identity proofs and any supporting evidence the court requires.

Section 372 of the Indian Succession Act, 1925 requires the petition to be signed and verified like a plaint, by or on behalf of the applicant, and makes a knowingly false statement in it an offence. It must state:

• the time of the death;
• where the person ordinarily resided and, if that was outside the Judge's limits, the property within them;
• the family and near relatives, and where they live;
• the petitioner's right;
• that nothing bars the grant; and
• the debts and securities the certificate is to cover.

In Greater Mumbai, the Bombay High Court's Original Side rules use Form No. 110 for the petition, Form No. 111 for the schedule of debts and securities, Form No. 112 for the oath and Form No. 5 for a vakalatnama unless the petitioner appears personally.

Which Court Issues a Succession Certificate?

You apply to the District Judge for the district where the person who died ordinarily resided or, if they had no fixed residence, where any of their property lies.

A state may invest a lower court with the same powers under section 388, a section Karnataka has omitted. In Ernakulam the Munsiff courts hear these petitions by delegated powers, and in Delhi the High Court's rules record Subordinate Judges invested by a 1914 notification that continues in force.

Petitions for Greater Mumbai go to the Original Side of the Bombay High Court, and an uncontested petition is a non-contentious matter in which the Prothonotary and Senior Master exercises the District Judge's powers. Because a court grants the certificate, Maharashtra's Aaple Sarkar portal lists none among its Revenue Department services.

What Is the Court Fee and Stamp Duty on a Succession Certificate?

Each state's own court-fee Act sets the fee on the debts and securities the certificate specifies. The whole fee is deposited with the petition; if the petition is allowed it buys the court-fee stamp, and any unspent part is refunded to whoever deposited it.

Maharashtra applies the Article 10 probate fee band by band under Schedule I Article 11 of the Maharashtra Court-fees Act, 1959: Rs 5,00,000 listed pays Rs 28,000 and Rs 10,00,000 pays Rs 65,500 (the bands in full). Telangana charges one rate on the whole amount under Schedule I Article 7 of the Telangana Court-fees and Suits Valuation Act, 1956: 2 per cent up to Rs 5,000, 3 per cent to Rs 25,000, 4 per cent to Rs 50,000, 5 per cent to Rs 1,00,000 and 6 per cent above, so Rs 5,00,000 pays Rs 30,000 and Rs 10,00,000 pays Rs 60,000 (Telangana in detail).

In both states the fee paid on a certificate is deducted from the fee on a later probate or letters of administration for the same estate. WillJini's own fee for its succession certificate service is quoted on enquiry.

How Long Does It Take to Get a Succession Certificate?

The law sets no time limit for objections or for the court's decision. For a Greater Mumbai petition, the Bombay High Court makes no grant until fourteen clear days after the notice is served, posted on the court-house and, if directed, published in a newspaper (Original Side rule 397(4)).

WillJini's service page puts the whole process at about 6 to 12 months, depending upon location, complexity in assets and co-operation of all family members.

How Does an NRI Apply for a Succession Certificate?

An heir living abroad applies to the same civil court as any other heir, and section 372 lets the petition be signed and verified on their behalf. For a death abroad, a commercial bank and a depository each accept proof of death consularised by the Indian Embassy or Consulate General, apostilled, or certified by a notary, a judge or an Indian bank's overseas branch. A depository also accepts certification by a court there. The succession certificate for an NRI covers applying from abroad.

What Does a Succession Certificate Let You Do, and Where Is It Valid?

A succession certificate works throughout India. It lets you collect the listed debts and, as the Judge specifies, receive interest or dividends on the listed securities, negotiate or transfer them, or both.

A certificate is invalid while an earlier grant for the estate is in force, and a later probate or letters of administration supersede it. From 19 June 2026, wilfully failing to surrender a superseded or invalid certificate when the court requires it carries a fine of up to Rs 10,000.

Can a Succession Certificate Be Extended or Revoked?

A succession certificate can be extended under section 376 to any debt or security not originally in it, and revoked under section 383. An extension carries a higher court fee: twice the ordinary fee in Maharashtra and one and a half times in Telangana.

The grounds for revoking it are defective proceedings, fraud or concealment, an untrue essential allegation, its becoming useless, or a court decree about the listed debts or securities. An order granting, refusing or revoking a certificate can be appealed to the High Court (section 384).

What Is the Format of a Succession Certificate?

Schedule VIII of the Indian Succession Act, 1925 sets out the certificate's form, which lists what it covers in two tables, one headed Debts and one headed Securities, with nowhere to enter land, a house or a flat.

Succession Certificate vs Legal Heir Certificate vs Probate vs Letter of Administration

The legal heir certificate is the only one of the four that a revenue authority issues. Legal heir certificate vs succession certificate explains which one a bank will take.

What Happens After the Certificate Is Granted?

Once a commercial bank has the certificate and every other required document, it settles a deposit claim within 15 calendar days, with interest of at least Bank Rate plus 4 per cent a year for its own delay. A depository transfers the securities to the heirs within 21 calendar days of receiving every document. Anything found later is added to the certificate by extension.

FAQs

Who issues a succession certificate?

A succession certificate is issued by the District Judge where the person who died ordinarily resided, or where their property lies if they had no fixed residence. A state may invest a lower court with the same powers, and for Greater Mumbai the Bombay High Court takes these petitions on its Original Side.

How long does it take to get a succession certificate?

WillJini's own estimate for the whole process is about 6 to 12 months depending upon location, complexity in assets and co-operation of all family members. The Indian Succession Act sets no time for deciding the petition, and for a Greater Mumbai petition the Bombay High Court makes no grant until fourteen clear days after notice.

For what amount is a succession certificate required?

Each bank and depository applies its own rules on when it needs a certificate. Where there is no nominee, survivor, will, dispute or restraining order, a commercial bank settles without one up to Rs 15 lakh, or a higher limit it has fixed, and above that the certificate is one of two routes. For securities, SEBI's limits from 22 August 2026 are Rs 10 lakh held physically per company or fund house and Rs 30 lakh in demat, above which the certificate is one of several accepted documents.

Can property be sold or transferred without a succession certificate?

Property can be transferred without a succession certificate, since the certificate cannot cover land, a house or a flat. In Maharashtra a co-operative housing society transfers a flat on a will, a succession certificate, a legal heirship certificate or a family arrangement, and inherited land on the record of rights is reported to the Talathi within three months. In Delhi, a Municipal Corporation name change on the property tax record confers no title and needs a succession certificate or letters of administration only where one of several heirs applies alone.

Can you apply for a succession certificate online?

A civil court grants a succession certificate on a petition signed and verified by or on behalf of the applicant. For that reason, Maharashtra's Aaple Sarkar portal lists no succession certificate among its Revenue Department services.